Here is a selection of 19 restaurants we like that have private rooms. We can't quote prices because in each case it varies widely, depending on type of party, menu, day of the week, time, and all that. Don't forget when you're planning a party in a restaurant that if you get a per-person price, make sure you figure in "plus plus plus," as they say in the event planning business: liquor, tax, and gratuity.

What could be better for New Yorkers who love to cook than the new book The Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook by Justin Spring (Broadway Books, $12.95)? The subtitle tells it all: Everything You Need to Know About Setting Up & Cooking in the Most Ridiculously Small Kitchen in the World — Your Own. It includes suggestions on the best cooking equipment for small kitchens, maximizing counter space, and 100 recipes designed with tiny kitchens in mind.